# 上様
## Japanese
### Etymology 1

Kanji in this term :
| 上 | 様 |
| うえ Grade: 1 | さま Grade: 3 |
| kun'yomi ||
* Alternative spelling
* 上樣 (kyūjitai)
Compound of 上 (ue, “up, above”) +‎ 様 (-sama, honorific suffix).
Cited to texts from the late 1300s.

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) うえさま [úꜜèsàmà] (Atamadaka – [1])
* (Tokyo) うえさま [ùéꜜsàmà] (Nakadaka –)
* IPA: [ɯ̟e̞sa̠ma̠]

#### Noun

上(うえ)様(さま) • (uesama)
* [from late 1300s] (honorific, address) form of address or reference for an emperor, shogun, or other individual of high social status: noble superior, Majesty, Highness, lordship
** 2006 November 7, Hideaki Sorachi, “第(だい)百(ひゃく)二(に)十(じゅう)八(はち)訓(くん)　運(うん)に身(み)分(ぶん)は関(かん)係(けい)ない [Lesson 128: Luck Has Nothing to Do with Social Status]”, in 銀(ぎん)魂(たま) [Silver Soul], volume 15 (fiction), Tokyo: Shueisha, →ISBN:
    …銀(ぎん)サン　今(いま)…上(うえ)様(さま)ってきこえませんでしたきこえたな…いや　でもまさか　ねェ　今(いま)　上(うえ)様(さま)って…んなわけないでしょ　どうして　天(てん)下(か)の将(しょう)軍(ぐん)様(さま)が　こんなキャバクラに来(く)るの　さぁ　どうぞ上(うえ)様(さま)こちらですぅいや　今(いま)　お前(まえ)も上(うえ)様(さま)って言(い)ったろ上(うえ)様(さま)なんてよくある名(な)前(まえ)アル　領(りょう)収(しゅう)書(しょ)なんてほとんど上(うえ)様(さま)ネいや　でも上(うえ)杉(すぎ)さんとかきき間(ま)違(ちが)えたのではないか
       …Gin-san ima…Ue-sama tte kikoemasen deshita
       …Gin-san, just now… I think I heard him say Ue-sama
       Kikoeta na…Iya demo masaka Nē ima Ue-sama tte…
       I heard it too… But it can’t be. Hey, did he just say Ue-sama…
       Nna wakenai desho Dōshite tenka no shōgun-sama ga konna kyabakura ni kuruno Sā dōzo Ue-sama kochira desū
       No way. Why would the shōgun ever come to this cabaret? Ue-sama, please come this way
       Iya ima omae mo Ue-sama tte ittaro
       But you just said Ue-sama, too
       Ue-sama nante yoku aru namae aru Ryōshūsho nante hotondo Ue-sama ne
       Ue-sama is a common name, eh? Most receipts are addressed to Ue-sama
       Iya demo
       Yeah, but
       Uesugi-san toka kiki machigaeta no de wa nai ka
       Maybe you misheard it for Uesugi-san or something?
* (honorific, address) form of address or reference in formal correspondence: sir or madam; or in documentation, such as a receipt: valued customer (also encountered with the reading jōsama)
** 2005 December 7, Hideaki Sorachi, “第(だい)八(はち)十(じゅう)一(いち)訓(くん)　扇(せん)風(ぷう)機(き)つけっぱなしで寝(ね)ちゃうとお腹(おか)こわしちゃうから気(き)を付(つ)けて [Lesson 81: Be Careful When Sleeping with the Fan on or You’ll Get a Stomachache]”, in 銀(ぎん)魂(たま) [Silver Soul], volume 15 (fiction), Tokyo: Shueisha, →ISBN:
    地(ち)球(きゅう)防(ぼう)衛(えい)軍(ぐん)より 上(うえ)様(さま)へ
       Chikyū Bōeigun yori Ue-sama e
       From the Earth Defense Force Dear Sir or Madam

### Etymology 2

Kanji in this term :
| 上 | 様 |
| うえ Grade: 1 | さま > ざま Grade: 3 |
| kun'yomi ||
* Alternative spelling
* 上樣 (kyūjitai)
Compound of 上 (ue, “up, above”) +‎ 様 (-sama, “state, condition, way”). The sama changes to zama as an instance of rendaku (連濁).
Cited to the 宇治拾遺物語 (Uji Shūi Monogatari) of the 1200s.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ɯ̟e̞za̠ma̠]

#### Noun

上(うえ)様(ざま) • (uezama)
* [1200s–???] (archaic, possibly obsolete) up, the upward direction
    Synonyms: 上 (ue), 上の方 (ue no hō)
    Antonyms: 下 (shita), 下の方 (shita no hō)

### Etymology 3

Kanji in this term :
| 上 | 様 |
| かみ Grade: 1 | さま Grade: 3 |
| kun'yomi ||
* Alternative spelling
* 上樣 (kyūjitai)
Compound of 上 (kami, “upper, above”) +‎ 様 (-sama, honorific suffix).
Cited to the 義経記 (Gikeiki) of roughly the mid-1300s.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ka̠mʲisa̠ma̠]

#### Noun

上(かみ)様(さま) • (kamisama)
* (archaic, possibly obsolete)
* [1300s–???] (honorific, address) form of address or reference for the wife of a daimyo, lord, or other individual of high social status: honored superior, milady
    Synonym: 奥方 (okukgata)
* [1675–???] (honorific, address) during the Edo period, form of address or reference for a widow or elderly mother of a household of good social standing
    Synonym: (widow, dowager) 後室様 (kōshitsu-sama)
* [1689–???] (honorific, address) during the Edo period, form of address or reference used by townsfolk for someone else's wife or mother
    Synonym: おかみさん (o-kami-san)

##### Usage notes

Not to be confused with 神様 (Kami-sama, “God”).

### Etymology 4

Kanji in this term :
| 上 | 様 |
| かみ Grade: 1 | さま > ざま Grade: 3 |
| kun'yomi ||
* Alternative spelling
* 上樣 (kyūjitai)
Compound of 上 (kami, “upper, above”) +‎ 様 (-sama, “state, condition, way”). The sama changes to zama as an instance of rendaku (連濁).
Cited to 枕草子 (The Pillow Book) of roughly 1000 CE.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ka̠mʲiza̠ma̠]

#### Noun

上(かみ)様(ざま) • (kamizama)
* [1200s–???] (archaic, possibly obsolete) up, the upward direction
    Synonyms: 上 (ue), 上の方 (ue no hō)
    Antonyms: 下様 (shimozama), 下 (shita), 下の方 (shita no hō)

##### Derived terms

* かみさん (kamisan)
* おかみさん (okamisan)

### Etymology 5

Kanji in this term :
| 上 | 様 |
| じょう Grade: 1 | さま Grade: 3 |
| goon | kun'yomi |
* Alternative spelling
* 上樣 (kyūjitai)
Compound of 上 (jō, “top-class, the best”) +‎ 様 (sama, honorific suffix).
Likely a shift from uesama, replacing the 訓読み (kun'yomi) of ue with the 音読み (on'yomi) of jō. Possibly influenced by homophone 嬢様 (jōsama, “princess”, honorific term of reference for someone else's daughter).

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) じょーさま [jóꜜòsàmà] (Atamadaka – [1])
* IPA: [d͡ʑo̞ːsa̠ma̠]

#### Noun

上(じょう)様(さま) • (jōsama)
* (honorific, address) form of address or reference in formal correspondence: dear sir or madam; or in documentation, such as a receipt: valued customer (also encountered with the reading uesama)

### Etymology 6

Kanji in this term :
| 上 | 様 |
| あがり Grade: 1 | さま Grade: 3 |
| kun'yomi ||
* Alternative spelling
* 上樣 (kyūjitai)
Kanji in this term :
| 上 | 様 |
| あげ Grade: 1 | さま Grade: 3 |
| kun'yomi ||
* Alternative spelling
* 上樣 (kyūjitai)
* For pronunciation and definitions of 上様 – see the following entries: 上がり様, 上げ様
(The following entries are uncreated: 上がり様, 上げ様.)

### References

* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* 1 2 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
* 1 2 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN